Dear Neighbor,
From April 11th through the 18th the legislature is not in session in observance of the Easter and the Passover season. The legislature resumes regular sessions, Tuesday April 19 and will adjourn on or before May 23.
During the slightly more than four weeks of the remaining regular session the House and Senate will decide many important issues, here is just a sampling:
- $9 billion-plus projected excess tax collections – tax cuts and/or new spending?
- Restore the Unemployment Insurance Trust fund to pre-COVID levels – or add a huge long-term increase to Minnesota employer payroll taxes?
- Keep or repeal the state income tax on elder’s social security retirement pensions?
- The state’s credit card – how large should this year’s capital investment (bonding) bill be?
- How do we support law enforcement and hold criminals accountable? Send tax dollars to unproven and unaccountable non-profit or fund law enforcement and tighten up the revolving door judicial system?
On another subject, it is a rare day that Gov. Walz and his agency commissioners surprise me by what they are up to – but this one truly did:
The Department of Corrections is planning to open a tattoo artist’s training academy within our state prison system. They are seeking to hire a Senior Project Consultant –Tattoo Supervisor. The position would pay from $28.25 to $41.63/hourly; or $58,986 to $86,923/annually.
The new hire “will lead a pilot project for the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) establishing a tattoo/body art studio within Minnesota correctional facilities. You will serve as the expert technical resource for other project and agency staff involved in the design and implementation of the body art pilot project so that a licensed body art studio is established and incarcerated men and women are trained and supervised in the art of tattooing.”
I believe in forgiveness and redemption. When it’s necessary to incarcerate an individual, we should do our best to ensure when that individual’s freedom is restored, they are able to become a productive member of society. It’s the right thing to do for both the individual and our society.
However, I can think of many other skill sets that would benefit both the individual and our society than what the governor is doing here. Using taxpayer dollars to set up an academy to train and license tattoo artists within our state prison system is not on that list.
Sincerely,
Dale